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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. row — to paddle
  5. object — an aim
  6. tear — from crying
  7. row — a line
  8. mug — a cup
  9. dip — to sink
  10. tear — from crying
  11. club — for dancing
  12. object — to protest
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. tear — to rip
  15. mug — a face
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. club — a group
  18. rash — a series
  19. mug — to rob
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — the season
  22. object — a thing
  23. fall — to drop
  24. row — a quarrel

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com